From Friends to Something More
by Kristen3
Summary: Post-series. SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE! When Joe and Helen's daughter asks how to know if she likes a boy, Helen isn't sure what to say. But maybe she can answer the question by remembering her own love story with Joe. One-shot.


Helen loved evenings like this. After spending a year in Vienna, finally studying cello full-time, she had a whole new perspective on Nantucket and the airport where she'd spent so much of her life. Casey had been grateful to return the lunch counter when she and Joe came back. The place was actually doing better than ever, thanks to improvements Casey had made in décor and updates to the menu. But Helen wasn't working there all the time. She now filled in for a few orchestras in Boston, whenever they were short a cellist.

Right now, she was making dinner. Such a simple thing, yet Helen couldn't be happier. Part of it was being back on the island, but there was something else. Or, rather, some_one_ else. Shortly before their year in Vienna was up, Helen discovered she was pregnant. It was all the more reason to return. There was no place else she'd rather raise a child than here.

Having a child was certainly an adjustment for everyone, but it helped that they had that a support system. Brian and Casey were always around, but there was also Fay. Because she'd never had children or grandchildren, she considered Joe and Helen's little girl an honorary grandchild.

The past five years had been a whirlwind. It was hard to imagine where the time had gone. But Debbie Hackett was in kindergarten now. She was proving to be just as smart and detail-oriented (some might say obsessive) as her father. Joe and Helen were very proud parents.

Helen's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps entering the kitchen. "Hi, Mommy."

She turned around. She'd always dreamed of being Mrs. Joe Hackett one day, and now she was a mom on top of it. "Hi, sweetheart. Dinner's almost ready and Daddy should be getting home from the airport soon."

Debbie nodded. "OK. I have a question."

Once again, Helen felt a rush of pride. This child definitely had Joe's genes. "What is it?"

"How do you know if you like someone?"

Whatever question Helen was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. Wasn't boy/girl stuff supposed to start around puberty? But she regained her composure and faked a smile. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, there's this boy at school, and he keeps following me around at recess. He says he loves me. At first I told him I didn't like him, but then I realized I don't even know how I would know if I did like him."

"Um, OK. Well, is he nice to you?"

Debbie shrugged. "He's OK. I mean, he doesn't tease me or anything."

Helen struggled to think of a response. She felt totally unprepared for this conversation. But then she realized, she wasn't much older than Debbie when she'd moved here from Texas and met the Hackett brothers. She remembered playing with them when they were kids. Even back then, she'd had a crush on Joe. Maybe it wasn't so crazy for a five-year-old to be asking about this. To buy time, she said, "You know, Daddy and I have known each other since we were in grade school. Not much older than you, in fact."

Debbie's eyes widened. She'd never heard this. "Really?"

Helen nodded. She walked over to where the little girl was standing, took her hand, and led her to the kitchen table. This was going to be a long story.

For a moment, Helen went back in time. She still remembered how nervous she'd felt on the first day at her new school. And being overweight hadn't helped any. But Joe and Brian had welcomed her immediately. "I met your daddy and Uncle Brian when Aunt Casey and I moved here from Texas. We were just kids then."

Debbie still couldn't believe this. It was hard enough to imagine her parents as kids, but to think they _met_ then? "Wow."

Helen giggled, loving her daughter's surprise. "We were the Three Musketeers, me and Daddy, and Uncle Brian. But Daddy and I didn't become a couple until much later." Helen wisely chose to skip over the part where Brian stole Joe's fiancee, causing the brothers to not speak for several years. "Daddy followed his dream to become a pilot, and he started Sandpiper. I wanted to follow my music, but it didn't lead anywhere, so I started working in the airport. At first, Dad and I thought we were still just friends, but I think even Uncle Brian could see that wasn't true."

"How did you know?" Debbie asked. She knew she still hadn't really gotten an answer to her question.

"Well, I started to think about how your Daddy was there for me while we were growing up. And he was sort of handsome, in a buttoned-up way."

"So when did you and Daddy decide to get married?"

"Well, we finally realized we could never be happy with anyone else, so we decided to tie the knot." Just like their courtship, Joe and Helen's wedding was anything but conventional.

"Wow! I bet you were the prettiest bride ever!"

Helen was touched by the comment. She'd never thought of herself that way. She couldn't resist leaning over and squeezing Debbie for a moment.

Just then, they heard the door opened, and Joe walked in. "My two favorite girls," he said, coming into the kitchen. He opened his arms, and Debbie ran at him immediately. "How was school today?" Joe asked, when he finally let her go.

"Good. I think I might like a boy."

Joe turned to Helen in surprise. His expression said, "Should I be worried about this?"

"Debbie was just asking how to know if she likes someone," Helen explained.

"Oh, and what did you tell her?"

"I told her about us. How we were friends as kids, and then we became more." Helen kissed him deeply. She knew without a doubt that Joe was the love of her life.

Joe enjoyed the kiss, but then he looked at his daughter seriously. "Mommy's right. But we didn't start dating until we were adults, so don't start getting any ideas."

"Joe, she's five," Helen said calmly. "I don't think she's going to be sneaking off with boys any time soon."

"OK," Joe said, taking a deep breath. He loved his little girl more than anything, and he was in no hurry for her to grow up. For a moment, he let himself imagine what it would be like when she became a teenager. It was hard enough to imagine her learning to drive, let alone dealing with boys! But he knew Helen was right. He had at least a few years before he had to worry about any of this. He resisted the urge to worry, or to want to plan ahead.

Slowly, Joe returned his attention to the little girl in front of him. Her smile made his worries fade immediately. For so many years, he'd poured his heart into Sandpiper, even when the business seemed on the brink of failure. Then he and Helen finally started their relationship for good, and things had begun to look up. But none of that compared with fatherhood. The path he and Helen had followed from friendship into something more had been full of more ups and downs than he'd ever experienced as a pilot. But, like his beloved plane, he'd landed at just the right spot.

**The End**


End file.
